Better Lives | Assisting families, schools & children

SODAT is expanding its partnership with Mukibogoye Primary School by collaborating to develop a school farm that can sustainably provide daily breakfast to the 800...

Moshi, TZ – Three schools set to pilot sustainable school breakfast farm – 20 May 2016

20 May 2016

Sam Barnes

Three primary schools in Kahe Ward are piloting a new project to sustainably provide daily breakfast to students by growing food at school. Maendeleo, Mwangaria,...

Battambang, KH – Garden helps OCH feed her grandchildren – 13 May 2016

13 May 2016

Michael Oliver

OCH provides her two grandchildren with nutritious food every day and earns extra income for their school fees by maintaining a productive organic vegetable garden!...

Mt. Kilimanjaro, TZ – Student groups learns about the importance of a holistic approach to development – 12 May 2016

12 May 2016

Sam Barnes

Lishe Bora hosted a group of 14 college students for a day of site visits and educational tours. The group came all the way from...

Kikondo, UG – Harvesting water saves time and allows children to focus on studies – 1 May 2016

01 May 2016

Sam Barnes

Mama FMJ no longer tells her children to go collect water when they return home from school. Now she tells them to study and read. After...

Kikondo, UG – Family implements improved water harvesting system following community training – 1 May 2016

01 May 2016

Sam Barnes

The HHM family attended the first Wamukisa water harvesting training on 3 April 2016. After attending the training, the family purchased a 1,000 liter water...

Kikondo, UG – Water harvesting provides relief to busy grandparents – 30 Apr 2016

30 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

The GGK family is using water harvesting techniques to bring order to their sometimes chaotic household. Having a harvesting system in place reduces the amount...

Siem Reap, KH – Family support helps the KN family recover from house fire – 29 Apr 2016

29 Apr 2016

Michael Oliver

The KN family experienced a disaster when their house and garden burned down. A neighbor was burning his rice field and the fire got out...

Mt Kilimanjaro – Family sets precedent for community by paying back first micro-loan early – 22 April 2016

22 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

The MBN family has finished making repayments on their small business loan one month ahead of schedule. On 2 Feb 2016 they received a loan...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Village Community Banking has enough capital to start lending – 18 Apr 2016

18 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

The Lishe Bora Village Community Banking (ViCoBa) group in Kilema now has 1,389,000 TZS (US $661.42) in total deposits that they are using to circulate...

Utete, TZ – Garden shop expands planting area to earn income and supply school breakfast – 15 Apr 2016

15 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

The KCM Success Group garden shop has started cultivating previously unused farmland in Kindwitwi for the purpose of selling vegetables for income and providing vegetables...

Battambang, KH – GP’s wife earns consistent income from successful pig business – 15 Apr 2016

15 Apr 2016

Michael Oliver

The Healthy Life Garden Shop has sold their first batch of pigs and earned US$138 profit! The small business employs GP’s wife to take care...

Los Alamitos, USA – Every student should attend leadership training – Apr 2016

12 Apr 2016

Chris Wade

Dear Better Lives, I’d like to share why I am so grateful for The Youth Center’s Leadership Academy that I attended last summer. I am...

Kikondo, UG – Wamukisa conducts first community training to improve water harvesting efforts – 3 Apr 2016

03 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

Over 30 families attended Wamukisa Support Organization’s first community training. The training focused on the benefits and best practices of water harvesting. With the rainy...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Lishe Bora employee finishes paying pig loans, prepares to sell pigs – 1 April 2016

01 Apr 2016

Sam Barnes

Lishe Bora employee Laurenti has finshed making loan repayments on a pig-fattening loan he received in October 2015. He is especially excited to finish repayments...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Employee finishes repaying land loan early, sets sights on building rooms – 25 Mar 2016

25 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

Lishe Bora garden shop manager Mary Andrea Shayo is preparing to make her final repayment on a land loan she received in October 2015. She...

Moshi, TZ – Experimenting with organic growing techniques on new crops – 20 Mar 2016

20 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

The JMM family was one of the first families to join Tupendane in March 2013. The family owned one acre of farm land and was...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Family earns first-round micro-loan from Village Community Banking group – 18 Mar 2016

18 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

The Lishe Bora VICOBA group has awarded its first round of small business loans to members. The POK family was one of five families to...

Battambang, KH – Garden feeds the MYB family everyday – 18 Mar 2016

18 Mar 2016

Michael Oliver

The MYB family started their organic vegetable garden after seeing the productive garden of one of their neighbours. Since then, they have stopped going to...

Battambang, KH – HPH’s expanded garden earns income – 18 Mar 2016

18 Mar 2016

Michael Oliver

Life is hard for the HPH family of five living in rural Battambang, Cambodia. They work in their small rice field under the hot sun...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Livestock & agriculture supply store improves efficiency for local farmers – 16 Mar 2016

16 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

On February 29 Lishe Bora officially opened its new agriculture and livestock supply store in Mkyashi. The store opened just in time for the rainy...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – First “Happy Pig” sold in Mkyashi to rave customer reviews – 14 Mar 2016

14 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

On 22 February 2016 Lishe Bora the first of two pigs they were raising in their “Happy Pig” pig pen. They butchered and sold the...

Dar es Salaam, TZ – Molly’s Network helps formalize small community organizations – 11 Mar 2016

11 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

In 2015 Molly’s Network helped two Better Lives partners in Tanzania become officially registered Community Based Organizations (CBO) and open up bank accounts as CBOs....

Siem Reap, KH – CWC plans to further expand productive garden – 4 Mar 2016

04 Mar 2016

Michael Oliver

CWC and his family work very hard to improve their lives. They have consistently maintained a productive garden, fattened pigs, raised cows, and now are...

Temeke, TZ – SAWA finalizes WASH improvement projects for Temeke Municipality – 3 Mar 2016

03 Mar 2016

Sam Barnes

“Water is an inevitable factor for our daily life activities; we cannot live without water. We hope to see the young generation enjoying healthy lives...

Moshi, TZ – Employment and hard work help a mother build her business – 26 Feb 2016

26 Feb 2016

Sam Barnes

Hard work is paying off for Mama Elias and her six children. In two years she has gone from selling small items out of a...

Ngara, TZ – New stoves at school kitchens are healthier and more efficient – 25 Feb 2016

25 Feb 2016

Sam Barnes

New stoves at three primary schools in Ngara have cut cooking time by 33% and reduced wood use by 80% for school breakfast cooks. The...

Utete, TZ – Refurbished secondary school library gives students a place to study – 24 Feb 2016

24 Feb 2016

Sam Barnes

Students at Utete Secondary School are happy to have a place to study with hundreds of books. Private donations for construction work and a visit...